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Personhood
Personhood; Where Is Our Choice? According to Resolve: The National Fertility Association, there are currently 13 states in which personhood bills or ballots have been introduced. For some, this is a simple moral issue on abortion but for most it is a life altering decision which, as Americans, we may no longer have the freedom to make. Not only would these amendments pave the way to overturning a battle won so many years ago with Roe v. Wade but it would also change women’s rights to birth control and could possibly even remove the process of in vitro fertilization as a way for infertile couples to have a family. It does not end there. What will happen to victims of rape and incest who are forced to carry an emotionally detrimental pregnancy to term? What about a mother whose life will become forfeit if she carries a pregnancy to term? Is every case so clear as to be able to charge these women as murderers? The definition of personhood from the “Federal
Personhood Amendments (Congress)-History and Background” website states, “Personhood is a new and rapidly growing movement within the Pro-Life Community that seeks to establish a legal definition of a person that includes unborn children, thus making killing an unborn child a crime punishable under existing murder laws.” This is where we must begin in order to understand the rights and freedoms of not only women, but all Americans, that are in serious jeopardy today. The purpose stated in the Federal Personhood Amendment of 2008 is as follows: “To

establish that legal personhood is granted to all human beings in the United States from the beginning of their biological life.” In laymen’s terms that would mean that as soon as the egg is fertilized it is a person. This leaves no room for discussion. Fortunately, Roe v. Wade established in 1973that it is a woman’s right to decide what to do when and if she finds herself in a situation where she has become



Cited: " The Next Front in the Abortion Wars: Birth control - Salon.com." Politics - Salon.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. <http://politics.salon.com/2011/10/26/the_next_front_in_the_abortion_wars_birth_control/singleton/>. " Personhood Legislation RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association ." RESOLVE : The National Infertility Association . N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. <http://resolve.org/about/personhood-legislation.html>. "Timeline: The Move Towards Personhood." American Prospect 22.10 (2011): 9-11. Omnifile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson). Web. 2 Apr. 2012. "10-year-old 's pregnancy fuels Mexican abortion debate - CNN." Featured Articles from CNN. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. <http://articles.cnn.com/2010-04-19/world/mexico.abortion_1_quintana-roo-abortion-debate-abortion-rights?_s=PM:WORLD>. "Abortion Statistics." AbortionNO.org / The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. <http://abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html>. "Death Penalty Information Center." Death Penalty Information Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. <http://deathpenaltyinfo.org>. "Federal Personhood Amendments(Congress) - History & Background - aka Human Life Amendments." Personhood Amendments - History & Background. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. <http://amendments.personhood.info/federal/>. Hill, Jan. "How to Understand Roe Vs. Wade | eHow.com." eHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the expert in you. | eHow.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. Scantling 9 "Personhood 's Mississippi moment of truth - Abortion - Salon.com." Salon.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. <http://salon.com/2011/11/08/personhoods_mississippi_moment_of_truth/>.

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